Debates of Sept. 25th, 2017

Taxation

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, what I would like to say is that it is a pleasure to work with the Minister of Agriculture on considering how we can best listen.

We know that for very wealthy Canadians, there is a system that encourages them to arrange their affairs so they can pay a lower rate of tax than middle-class Canadians. What we also know is that farmers are very important to our economy. They are very important to Canadians.

Listening to them is important. Making sure that they will continue to thrive, continue to be able to invest in their farm, and continue to pass it to the next generation are important objectives for our government, and certainly important objectives for all Canadians. We are listening to make sure that is achieved.

Foreign Affairs

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when called upon to comment on the referendum in Catalonia last week and again today, the Prime Minister refused to say anything about democratically elected Catalan leaders being arrested.

The Catalan situation and the Kurdish referendum once again bring the right to self-determination to the forefront on the world stage.

My question is simple: Does the Canadian government support the right of peoples to self-determination?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to Catalonia, Canada has a friendly relationship with Spain. This is an internal Spanish matter. It is our hope that this internal matter will come to an harmonious and respectful end in accordance with Spain's constitutional framework.

Housing

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this morning the Liberal government refused to support my private member's bill on the right to housing. Previously the Liberals said they were planning to include the right to housing in upcoming legislation, but today they said that a legal right was not necessary.

Instead of hope and hard work, the Liberal slogan should be hype and hypocrisy. Housing advocates agree that Canada needs a legal right to housing, so why is the Liberal government denying Canadians this important human right?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to have this opportunity to express how strongly this government feels about the inclusive development and inclusive growth that benefits everyone and gives the rights to everyone to have a standard of living and the ability to fully participate in the life of our society. We are investing, for the first time in 50 years, significant resources in building our housing system, and over the next years decreasing by half the number of renters in Canada who are living in either inadequate or unaffordable housing conditions.

Foreign Affairs

[Michael Levitt, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has repeatedly spoken out against the undemocratic and authoritarian actions of the Maduro regime in Venezuela, including through public statements and at the Organization of American States. From the creation of the illegitimate National Constituent Assembly to the imprisonment of political opposition leaders such as Leopoldo Lopez, it is clear that Venezuela is suffering a deep descent into dictatorship. In response to this anti-democratic behaviour, can the minister inform the House what decisive actions Canada is taking against the Maduro regime?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for York Centre for his hard, committed work on this issue. Our government deplores the actions of the Maduro regime, as I believe that all members of the House do. That is why, on September 22, we were pleased to announce strong, targeted sanctions against 40 leading members of the Maduro regime.

Last week in New York, I attended the Lima Group meeting of like-minded countries committed to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela, and I was pleased to announce that Canada will host the next meeting of the Lima Group. We will not stand by as the Government of Venezuela robs its people of their fundamental rights.

International Trade

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party is the party of free trade. Brian Mulroney and Stephen Harper negotiated the majority of Canada's current free trade agreements, including NAFTA.

Now the king of selfies probably thought that renegotiating NAFTA would simply be another opportunity to take a few nice pictures while wearing fancy new socks. This renegotiation will have long-lasting impacts on our economy. It is time for the Prime Minister to stop clowning around. Enough is enough.

Will the Prime Minister finally admit that he is in way over his head when it comes to defending Canadian businesses?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canada and our government strongly and vigorously defend our national and economic interests.

Our main objectives for the negotiations are clear: protecting NAFTA as job creator and economic driver, reducing red tape to make things easier for small and medium-sized businesses, making NAFTA a more progressive agreement, and maintaining the elements of NAFTA that are key to our national interests. That is what we will do.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have some doubts about that, because the last few weeks have shown us that businesses may have reason to fear this government. On the one side, we have an American government that is negotiating hard for its citizens. On the other, we have a Prime Minister who shows us every day that he does not understand the needs of Canadian businesses and the possible issues involved in the renegotiation of NAFTA.

Can the Prime Minister tell us whether he intends to stand up for our farmers and for supply management, as well as for every sector of the Canadian economy?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure my colleague, all the members of this House, and all Canadians that we fully understand the national interest of Canada and Canadians. We are working extremely hard with our professional negotiators to vigorously defend Canada's national interest, including supply management and the interests of agricultural producers like my father.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is creating a crisis of confidence. Tax changes have small businesses up in arms, farmers are worried, and tech start-ups may see capital dry up. Now, with NAFTA negotiations, the government has not even placed the auto industry as a top priority, and 140,000 jobs are at risk. When will the Liberal government start fighting for jobs in Canada rather than driving them away?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, let me start by congratulating the member for Durham on his nomination as official opposition critic for foreign affairs.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

It is “shadow minister”.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

He is the shadow minister, not critic. Okay, Mr. Speaker.

Let me assure the member that at the NAFTA negotiating table we are fighting very hard, we are fighting energetically, and we are fighting, having done our homework, for the interests of all Canadian workers, very much including workers in the auto sector. I had a very productive consultation with the auto sector on Friday.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the minister. I am proud to shadow her.

This is the third round of negotiations, and I am not at the table, so I have to see what the government is saying in public. I have yet to hear the Prime Minister stand up for our auto industry. I have yet to hear our Prime Minister stand up for our softwood lumber industry. I have yet to hear the Prime Minister stand up for jobs in our resource sector. It is time for the Prime Minister to pull up his fancy socks and start fighting for Canadian interests.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, let me assure the member opposite that we are fighting very hard at the NAFTA negotiating table for the interests of all Canadian workers. That very much includes workers in the auto sector, and I was pleased to have a very productive consultation with members of the auto sector just on Friday. It very much includes workers in the natural resources sector, and we are fighting hard for an energy chapter. The interests of Canadian workers are absolutely at the heart of our negotiating strategy, and we are going to defend them.

Automotive Industry

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on defending Canadians, Windsor's city council is calling on the federal government to make the protection and growth of Canada's automotive sector a key priority in NAFTA renegotiations, and the resolution is important to both Windsor and Essex County and to all of Canada.

With no national auto strategy, the Liberals are silent on their plan to fortify our automotive industry. Can the minister reassure the people of Windsor how the Government of Canada is actively and aggressively promoting our best interests in the auto industry?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have this opportunity to reassure the people of Windsor and in fact all Canadians that we absolutely understand the importance of manufacturing and the automotive sector to our economy. Those are good, well-paying, very often unionized jobs, and we will fight to keep them here in Canada. I do want to point out, particularly for Americans who might be listening to us today, that North American content levels in Canada-produced vehicles are on average considerably higher than in vehicles produced in the U.S. and Mexico, and that is a good thing.

The Environment

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, further on transparency, the government claims it is seeking inclusion of strong environment and climate provisions in a modernized NAFTA, yet there are no environment advisers on the minister's NAFTA council. At the eleventh hour, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change formed a NAFTA subgroup, promising openness and transparency, yet refusing to reveal the measures the Liberals are seeking in the new deal.

How can Canadians have faith that the Liberals are strengthening environment in trade deals without transparency? When will the minister come clean on what the Liberals are actually seeking for the environment at the negotiation table?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, there are many environmentalists on my advisory council. There are also an indigenous leader, business leaders, and academics. We believe that we are going to have the strongest environmental protections. We are going to fight for them. We know that is the right thing to do. We understand that the environment and the economy go together, and Canadians expect clean air, clean water, and action on climate change.

Government Appointments

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government continues working hard for Liberal insiders and those wanting to join the Liberal insiders.

Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux ran unsuccessfully for the federal Liberals in 2011 in the riding of York—Simcoe last year. The Liberals gave her an unbelievable $437,000 contract to consult on first nation child welfare issues and write a report.

How can the Prime Minister justify paying this Liberal insider $55,000 a month when seniors, veterans, and indigenous communities struggle month to month just to survive?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to completely overhauling child and family services in full partnership with first nations communities.

The special representative met with 261 chiefs, experts, officials, advocates, and individuals with lived experience from coast to coast to coast to inform our commitment to first nations child welfare reform.

We look forward to receiving a report and recommendations on how we transform the system to better support and reflect the needs of first nations children and to put their well-being first.

[Alex Nuttall, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux is unapologetic about her major taxpayer-funded payout. She believes that because she paid tax on the income, it is no big deal. She even went so far as to scold first nations advocates for not blindly praising her work. The Liberals know what they did is wrong, yet they continue to do it.

Can the minister explain how giving $437,000 to a Liberal insider is somehow helping Canadian indigenous youth?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we acknowledge the disproportionate number of indigenous children in the child welfare system. We believe that transformation requires investments in children, families, and communities, not in lawyers, agencies, and non-indigenous foster families.

The MSR was critical to understanding the needs of communities in order to overhaul the system and preventing children from entering the system at all.